Phil Mickelson (right) and caddie Jim Mackay (left) react after coming up two shots shy of winning the 113th U.S. Open on Sunday at Merion Golf Club outside Philadelphia. / JD Mercer, USA TODAY Sports

by USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY

by USA TODAY Sports, USA TODAY

ARDMORE, Pa. - Phil Mickelson called his record sixth runner-up finish on Sunday at the U.S. Open heartbreaking.

After holding at least a share of the lead in the first three rounds, Mickelson shot a final-round 74 and was overhauled by Justin Rose.

In the immediate aftermath, Mickelson went looking for answers.

Did he make a strategic mistake, deciding to put five wedges in his bag and leave the driver at home?

He seemed to imply that late Sunday.

"The third hole was a very tough par, in fact, 274 into a 20 mile an hour wind, I didn't really have the shot to get back there," Mickelson said. "I needed a driver. "

Mickelson has made interesting strategic decisions before.

In the 2006 Masters, he put two drivers in his bag, one for shaping right to left, one for shaping left to right. It worked, and Mickelson claimed his second green jacket.

In the 2008 U.S. Open, he went without a driver for the first two rounds. It didn't work; he was well back by the weekend.

And now this.

It might simply be a case of a guy who is desperate to win the title he most covets second-guessing himself at every turn.

The strategy had worked for most of the week. And despite the trouble on No. 3 Mickelson was back in the lead with eight holes to play.

All he had to do was play even par coming in to win and, though that's a tough order in any Open, he had the easy 121-yard 13th hole that he would almost surely birdie as insurance against any bogeys down the stretch.

But he hit a pitching wedge instead of a gap wedge to the hole, flying the green and leaving himself with a pitch from the rough he had no way of getting close to the hole. He made bogey, then compounded his error on No. 15 by quitting on a gap wedge and leaving it so short he had to chip from the front of the green for another bogey.

In the end it wasn't strategy but execution.

"Thirteen and 15 were the two bad shots of the day that I'll look back on where I let it go," Mickelson said.